


Restless Hearts and Faraway Dreams

by ashenseraph



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 02:55:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10480539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashenseraph/pseuds/ashenseraph
Summary: Anastasia Sanguis Vulpes is an immigrant to Lucis and a member of the Kingsglaive, rescued by King Regis outside of the walls of Lucis when she was a young child. She knows nothing but battle and coldness, evident in her Glaive training and her astute abilities to dodge Gladiolus' affections. She doesn't know anything about her past or where she came from, and when the day of the treaty with the Empire nears, King Regis urges her to leave Insomnia and discover her origins. Join Ana on her journey to discover herself and maybe blossom her ability to love.





	

**Author's Note:**

> ***Rated explicit due to future sexual content!***

I stood in the foyer of the royal summer house, gazing out of the open window with a half-filled glass of champagne in my hand. At first glance, I may have looked like I was lost in thought, but to be honest, I wasn’t really thinking about anything. In fact, the only reason why I was at the ball was because it was mandatory for all Kingsglaive members. I almost didn’t wake up for the opening ceremonies. I had just enough time to braid back my forest green hair and slip into something more elegant. I absent-mindedly brought the champagne glass to my lips only to realize it was empty. With a small sigh, I turned and walked out of the foyer and into the ballroom where the bar was.  
As I sauntered up to the bar, I put on a graceful smile for the bartender, Elias. It wasn’t a fake smile, just something to cheer up the air as I asked for a new drink. Elias saw me as I approached and smiled brightly. “Anastasia!!” I set my empty glass on the bar counter. “Hello, Elias. I could use another glass of champagne, dear friend.” Elias flashed me a dazzling smile as he grabbed a bottle. “Certainly. Are you enjoying yourself?” How is he so happy all the time? I thought to myself as I glanced at his spiked jet black hair, squared jaw line, and shining eyes. I guess when you look like THAT, its hard to have a sad day. “Its well enough, I suppose. Not really my cup of tea. Thanks.” As he set the champagne flute in front of me, I looked off into the distance again. At least the windows were wide and tall. It was almost as if I was outside, which is where I’d much rather be at the moment.  
“You know, this is my last day to relax before I have to prepare for my trip to Altissia.” I snapped from my day dream and turned to the deep voice that rang in my ears.   
“Hello, Gladio. You know, you can go socialize with the people that actually want to be socialized with.” I gestured to the numerous figures dancing in the ballroom and laughing with their friends. Gladio scoffed. “When are you gonna knock down that wall and just let me in?” I rolled my honey-colored eyes at the notion. I thought back to a couple of years ago, when I tried to let him in. I stayed up all night after class and baked sweets, putting them in a pleasant box with a large red bow on top. When I presented the gift to him, he stared at me with a cocked eyebrow. I tried to ignore the people who stopped walking to stare at the spectacle unfolding. Maybe I don’t handle rejection well, but that still didn’t stop that moment from being the most vulnerable I have ever felt. I still remember Gladio sucking his teeth in what seemed to be disgust as he turned and walked away, muttering I don’t have time for this. I also remember the snickers and laughs from the people that watched my heart be broken right in front of them. I had a crush on him since we were children and I figured that both of us being mature university students would make rejection unlikely. I was wrong.  
Now, two and a half years later, he approaches me in search of my affections. Needless to say, I have moved on. “I don’t have time for this…” I muttered sarcastically as I looked back towards the windows. I will never let myself be that vulnerable again. Gladio sighed and slowly walked away, shoulders sunken. I felt a twang of guilt, but quickly buried it. I had other things to mull over, such as the upcoming signing of the treaty with the Empire. Most of my fellow Kingsglaive members were bitter and resentful towards the King, and I can understand why. They were all foreigners, immigrants from lands that were going to be in empirical control come 3 days from now. Me? I have no clue where I come from, so I guess you could say I am indifferent. Apparently, they found me, a small child at the time, wandering around outside of the walls.   
Luckily, my mind has been made up and after this treaty is signed, I am going to embark on my own journey to try and find out where I may be from. I already have everything packed and I am living out of my bags so that I can pick up and go. Maybe once I finally have my questions answered, I can push this darkness out of my heart, sadness that has been plaguing me for years.  
I blinked as a singular tear fell from my eye. I wiped it hastily and glanced around to ensure that no one saw. When I felt like I was in the clear, I downed the rest of my champagne, set my glass on the bar, and headed for the exit. I had enough of this place and these people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked away from Anastasia feeling beat down. She was as cold as ever and that sting hurts more and more every single time. I just can’t understand why she refuses to let the past go. I understand now why she holds a grudge after the way I acted years ago, but at the same time, I am a completely different man than I was then.  
I strolled over to where I saw Ignis standing alone, presumably waiting on me. He wasn’t much for large gatherings, but you would never know that just by looking at him. He was damn good at playing the part. He glanced up at me as I approached. “And? How did it go?” Ignis had an eagerness in his eyes. I sighed and replied “Not so well. She is as icy as ever.” He must have seen the sadness in my eyes. “Maybe I should bake something for you to give. I hear she is fond of cake.” I shrugged my shoulders and turned to look back at the bar I left her at. She was no longer there. She must have took my pride with her, cause I just wasn’t feeling it. I tried to shake it off because it really wasn’t my thing to be so openly emotional.  
Looking at Ignis, I gestured towards the door. He nodded curtly and we made our way to the exit. I knew that I was leaving in a few days to accompany the Prince to Altissia, and I hated the thought of leaving for a long time without making some kind of connection with Anastasia. Maybe I could see her one more time before I leave…  
“Gladio, you should be focused on our upcoming journey, not on becoming a suitor,” Ignis sternly said. I rolled my eyes. “Can’t I be focused on two things at once? Besides, I have a bad feeling about this treaty. And I don’t like that she has to be there in the middle of it all.” Ignis unlocked the car with a remote as we walked up to it. It sleek black structure was just my style: cool, but not too flashy. Ignis responded as he sat in the drivers seat. “Ana being there is unavoidable. She is a member of the Kingsglaive.” I sat in the passenger side and shut my door. I didn’t have anything else to say, because he was right. All of the Glaive consisted of immigrants, and she was one of them. I don’t know where in life she would be if it wasn’t for the Glaive, but I know she has it as good as she can get. At least, that is what everyone thinks. No one knows where she came from. She was a small child found half dead outside of the wall. I wonder if she will ever find out.  
“Something on your mind, Gladio?” Ignis looked at me inquisitively as we walked outside. “I was just thinking, maybe you could make something for Ana? I heard her favorite cake was red velvet.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I thought I was dreaming the noise, but I guess it must have been going off for quite some time. As I wiped the blurriness from my eyes, I took a look at the screen, then answered. “Crowe? You know its my day off, right?” The sound in her voice was extremely apologetic. “Sorry, Ana! This is kinda urgent. You are being summoned by the King.” I sat up in my bed, propping myself up with one arm. My jaw dropped open, stunned at what I just heard.   
“Uh, am I hearing you right? King Regis is requesting MY presence?”   
“Yes, Ana. He will be in the conference room in one hour so do not be late! It seems important.” I gulped nervously. “Roger that.” I pressed the red button on my phone to end the call. I haven’t really had a one-on-one conversation with the King in a while. I don’t remember much about my beginnings, but what I do know is that they found me outside the walls when I was a toddler. I couldn’t have been older than four years, and they said I was filthy and dressed in rags. My earliest memories were of King Regis holding me as I cried into his neck. I remember him carrying me through the halls of the Citadel. Soon, he gave me to a Lucian family to raise, until I was old enough to show off my skills with various weapons. This got me into the Kingsglaive and from then on, I spent most of my time with the fellow Glaive members, or alone. Every now and then, the King spoke to me in passing and he always asked about my schoolwork and training. I could tell he really cared about me. I was really curious about why he needed to see me so urgently, so I promptly hopped out of bed and threw on clothes as fast as I could. I hurriedly brushed my teeth, grabbed my coat and rushed out the door.  
I didn’t live too far away from the Citadel. It was about a 15 minute walk, but with my speed I made it in 10 minutes. I ran up the steps to the great doors which were already open, guards posted at the entrance. I nodded curtly to them as I power walked my way through the halls, making my way for the conference room. As I got nearer, I began to sweat in nervous anticipation. Stay calm, just stay calm…I told myself. I didn’t even know what this talk was going to be about, so I didn’t understand why I was so nervous. I approached the conference room doors and paused, hand outstretched in a final hesitation. I shook my head, attempting to snap out of it and pushed open the door.  
King Regis stood with his back facing me, gazing intently out of the cathedral style windows. He seemed to not noticed that I had entered the room. “Y-your…majesty?” The King turned his head slowly. He knew I was there from the beginning, but he was so preoccupied with whatever was on his mind that my presence barely brought him out of his trance. “Ana…thank you for coming. You should sit down. We have much to discuss.” I gulped rather loudly and moved forward to the long table that was in the center of the room. I picked a random chair and slid into the seat. The King at this point turned around to face me, and he had the warmest smile on his face. It was almost like he was recalling a fond memory and it left me even more confused. “Ana, do you know where you came from?” I thought this was an odd question, because we both know the answer to this. I shook my head. He continued.  
“I don’t either I’m afraid, and I cannot go through the coming days without giving you an opportunity to find out.” I raised an eyebrow, questioning the King with my facial expressions. I was never really good at conversing with authority figures. The look on his face turned serious and he place both hands sternly on the table. “Ana, when we are done here, you will go straight home, pack your belongings, and leave Lucis.” My jaw dropped and I was finally able to speak. “Um, sir? You CANNOT be serious. I mean, forgive my lack of tact, but the treaty is in a few days and the Kingsglaive needs the entirety of its forces for security, what with the Empire strolling around and all…” King Regis put his hands behind his back and his stern look was replaced with a poignant one. “I’m afraid that the Kingsglaive is reaching the end of its life. I do not believe it will be around for long.”  
“I…I don’t understand what you are getting at…your Majesty…” My thoughts started racing. Why is he speaking like this? Why does it sound like he is telling me goodbye? As I kept asking myself questions, trying to figure out exactly what his intent was, he made his way over to where I was sitting and knelt down on one knee so that he was at eye level with me.   
“Anastasia, you must go. You will leave and make your way to Hammerhead. Seek out an elder man named Cid. Tell him that I sent you.”   
“B-but sir…”   
The King interrupted me by grabbing my right hand and holding it in both of his. “Anastasia, I am so sorry that I was always so distant as you were growing up. Ana, I have always loved you as if you were one of my own, and I am here to tell you that this may be the last time we see each other. I want you to find the answers to your past. Anything else here will end in tragedy.” At this point, there were tears welling up in my eyes. I tried to hold them back but they rolled freely down my cheek. King Regis placed a warm hand on my face and smiled warmly. “Know that I am always here for you. I cannot explain anything more than this, so go. Go find the missing pieces.” Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and nestled my face into his shoulder, tears spewing from my eyes uncontrollably. “I love you, and thank you for saving me. I wouldn’t have a life if it wasn’t for you.” I sobbed into his neck for a minute, until he pulled back, looking at me with fatherly eyes.   
“Make haste, Ana. And take protection. It is dangerous outside of the walls.” I nodded slowly as I dried my eyes. I wasn’t sure what was going on, and to be honest, I didn’t want to know. The seriousness of the situation and of the King’s tone told me that something big was about to happen during this treaty, and that I shouldn’t be here for the show. I stood up, King Regis’ hands on both of my shoulders. “Godspeed, Ana.” I puffed my chest up slightly, feigning confidence as realized I had much to do. “Goodbye, your Majesty.” I turned and headed out of the conference room door, resisting the urge to look back. Despite the secrets, I knew this was goodbye and I needed to be strong. As I exited the door and marched down the hall, my pace grew faster and faster until I was in a dead sprint, flying out of the Citadel and dashing towards my apartment. I was already making mental notes of what I needed to pack when I noticed a familiar face to my right.  
Gladiolus. Time seemed slow down as I made eye contact with him, noticing the surprise in his eyes. The people casually walking down the street almost stood still, and for a split second, I wanted him to come with me and tell me it was going to be okay. The moment did not last long and I refocused myself to the goal at hand, leaving him behind to stare after me.  
Goodbye, Insomnia.


End file.
